Method of and apparatus for separating materials



Aug. 23, 1932. g, HALLAM 1,873,393

NETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FDR SEPARATING MATERIALS Filed Feb. 28. 1927 Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED sra'ras' FATE OFFICE cncrn ALFRED HALLAM, or onicAoo, ILLINOIS, ABSIGNOR 'ro 'wns'rnnn ELECTRIC COMPANY, INGORIORATED, on :NEW YORK, n. Y., A oonronArIon on new YORK nn'rnonor AND APPARATUS non snrAnA'rnte murmurs Application filedFebruary 28,1927. Serial 170. 171,581.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for separating materials, and more particularly to a method of and an appartus for removing insulation from electrical 5 conductors and separating the insulating materials and the conductors.

Objects of the invention are to provide an efficient and effective method of andan apparatus for reclaiming mixed materials into their separate component parts. v

The invention contemplates the provision of a method and an apparatus in which paper insulated electrical conductors of telephone cables are disintegrated and the insulation removed after which the material is introduced into an air current of a progressively decreasing velocity in which the lar er metallic particles of the material are ropped out, and the remaining material is subjected to a series of screening operations to complete the separation.

It is believed that a complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially schematic and partly in section, 0 a separating apparatus adapted to'remove paper insulation rom copper conductors and then separate the materials, and

Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of a device for timing the operations of a charging and a discharging motor of a circulatory separatin device.

eferring to the drawing in which the same reference characters designate similar parts in the several views, a cutting mechanism 19 is provided at the receiving end of the apparatus. Before being fed into the cutting m chanism 19, the conductors are preferably reduced to sizes of approximately six inches in length.- The conductors are then subjected to a disintegrating action in the cuttingmechanism which reduces the conductors to sizes of about one inch in length and removes substantially all of the paper insulation therefrom. disclosed is especially adapted to remove wrapped paper insulation in which the width The particular cutting mechanismof the paper wrapped is approximately equal to the lengths into which the conductors are cut in the mechanism 19.

The material is conveyed from the cutting mechanism to a separating chamber '22 by means of anair current produced by a fan 23. The lower end of the separating chamber 22 is provided with a annular drum 24 1n which an air pressure is maintained by means of a fan 25 andwhich communicates with the separating chamber by means of an, annular outlet 26. 'Theannular outlet 26 of the drum 24 is frustum-shaped with its apex directed upwardly so as to create an upward air current of a highvelo city in the restricted lower portion 27 of the separating chamber, which is so constructed that vari' ous velocities will be encountered in the dif' ferent portions of the chamber. When the material enters the chamber, the li hter por tions will be carried upwardly and t e heavier portions will drop downwardly and through an exit 21 into any suitable receptacle. "In the restricted portion 27 of the separating chamber, the velocity is such as to permit only the copper materials to drop downwardly and the velocity in an upper expanded portion 20 of the chamber is such as to be suflicient to raise only the paper particles. If any copper particles are present in the chamber to which paper is attached they will be suspended and agitated between the restricted and the expanded portions of the chamber until the are separated when the copper will be ropped through the exit and the paper and small particles of copper dust will be carried by an air current into a rotary cylindrical sieve 28. The air from the separating chamber ispermitted to pass into a stack 29 provided with a screen 32. Much of the copper dust which is present in the paper will be separated from the paper by the screen 28 rotated by a motor 34 and passed out of an exit 33 into any suitable receptacle. The paper is discharged from the screen 28 to a hopper 35.

The lower end of the hopper 35- is connected to a pipe 36 in which is located a periodically operated gate 37. When the gate 37 is-opened, a fan 38 draws the material from the hopper into a circulatory system 39 whereupon the gate -37 is again closed. A rotary disk screen 42 is located inthe system against which the paper and dust is thrown. Some of the dust will pass through the screen and through an exit into any suitable receptacle while the paper will be ricocheted or deflected from the screen and continue through the system to repeat the cycle. After the material has completed approximately forty-five cycles, requiring about as many seconds, all of the dust will be separated from the paper and a gate 43 will be operated to discharge the paper into a hopper 44 from which the air may pass through a screen 45 and the paper is permitted to drop thoroughly cleaned through an exit 46 into any suitable receptacle. A screen 47 is provided in the circulatory system to permit the fan 38 to draw air into the system and discharge the material when the gate 43 is in the proper position to discharge the material. In order to prevent the disk screen 42 from becoming clogged by the dust particles, a brush 50 is mounted so as to continuously sweep the upper surface of the screen and the dust particles which are accumulated thereby are carried off by a pipe 51 which is connected to the circulatory system on the low pressure side of the fan 38.

The gates 37 and 43 of the circulatory system are actuated by motors 48 and 49, respectively, which are operated in timed relation by a mechanism comprising an insulated disk 52 provided with a conducting strip 53 and a rack 54 which supports four carbon brushes 55 which successively contact with the conducting strip as the insulated disk is rotated.

The disk 52 is continuously rotated at uniform speed in the counter-clockwise direction by any suitable means (not shown). The

conducting strip 53 is connected to one side of any suitable-source of electric current (not shown), .while two of the brushes 55'are connected to each of the motors. The motors 48 and 49 may be of the type having double and oppositely wound fields so that contacting the conducting strip with one of the brushes would cause the motors to rotate in a forward a second brush of the motor 9, reversing its direction and closing the gate 43. Immediately thereafter the insulating strip will come in contact with the first brush of motor 48, energizing the motor 48 to open the gate 37 and allowing a new charge to enter the system. The conducting strip will then contact with the last brush of the motor 48, reversing its direction and causing it to again close the gate 37 The motors will then remain deenergized until the disk completes the revolution during which time the-material is allowed to circulate through the system to remove all of the dust therefrom as described above.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention herein described and illustrated ismerely a convenient and useful form .of the invention which is capable of many other modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material separating apparatus,an endless conduit forming a circulatory se arating system, means for circulating a de nite charge of material in the system, and a screen located in said conduit and disposed at such an angle that the screen openings are substantially in line with the path of the impinging material and the screen surface intersects said path at a deflecting angle adapted to return the screen rejects to the circulating means.

2. In a material separating apparatus, an endless conduit forming a circulatory separating system, a. rotary disk-shaped screen in said conduit, and means for cyclically impelling the material against the' screen.

3. In a material separating apparatus, an endless conduit, means for continuously propelling material through the conduit, a pivoted foraminous disc forming a part of the wall of the conduit and positioned to deflect the material being propelled therethrough, said disc also projecting outside of the conduit, and continuous cleaning means acting on the part of the disc outside of the conduit.

4. In a material separating apparatus, an endless conduit, means for continuously propellin material through the conduit, a ro tary oraminous member forming a part of the wall of the conduit and positioned to defleet the material being propelled therethrough, said foraminous member also projecting outwardly from the conduit, a brush engaging the part of the member outside of the conduit, and suction means connecting the brush with the conduit.

5. In a material separating apparatus, an endless conduit, means operative to charge a batch of material into the conduit at regular intervals, a fan for continuously pro elling the material through the conduit, 21. oramr nous member positioned in the path of the material being propelled and adapted to screen the same,suction cleaning means associated with the foraminous member, an air inlet aperture in the conduit, and means operative to discharge the batch of material at a predetermined interval after the operation of the first mentioned means.

6. In an apparatus forv separating metal dust from paper, an endless closed conduit,

means for maintaining a flow of air through.

sitioned in the path to deflect a relatively coarse fraction of the moving material along an angular change of direction in the path and having passages permitting a relatively fine fraction of the material to escape from the path, and means for periodically discharging the batch of material and. means for coordinatin the time relation of the charging and disc arging means.

8. In a material separating apparatus, an endless conduit having angularly related portions, means for creating a blast of air in the conduit to propel material therethrough, means for feeding material thereto, and a foraminous deflecting member positioned at the vertex of an angular bend of the conduit at an angle to the adjacent portions of the conduit adapted to deflect a relative coarse fraction of the material propelled thereover and having passages permitting a relatively fine fraction of the material to pass directly therethrough.

9. A method of treating composite material comprising constituents of diflerent densities, which consists in chargin the material into a closed circulatory pat causing a blast of air to impel the material continuously through a predetermined number of cycles along said path, subjecting the fluid borne material at a bend in the path to obstructing forces adapted to intercept and deflect relatively coarse low density material into the path beyond the bend, and permitting the relatively fine high density material to pass substantially undeflected past said bend.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 16 day of February, A. D. 1927.

CECIL ALFRED I-IALLAM. 

